Fresh packages, programmes revitalise Selangor tourism after pandemic slump

SERDANG - As the workweek comes to a close, most people anticipate the weekend or their off days to break free from the daily grind.

Recognising the need for relaxation, Selangor emerged as a diverse playground for weekend escapades, offering a range of new packages and programmes in several destinations around the state for those craving a break from the demands of their professional lives.

In 2020, the state launched the ‘Nak Bercuti? Pusing Selangor Dulu!’ (Want to go for a holiday? Explore Selangor first!) campaign in an effort to revive the state's tourism industry which has been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tourism Selangor industry development manager Chua Yee Ling said the campaign was also to encourage residents in the state to explore their own backyard, showcasing the state's strength in catering to weekend getaways.

She said as things were starting to look up, after the world grappled with the pandemic, the agency has stepped in to promote domestic tourism through the campaign.

Despite its vast population, she said many Selangor residents were unfamiliar with places in the state like Sekinchan and Hulu Selangor and have yet to explore the places which offered a variety of unique holiday experiences.

She said this highlighted the need to increase efforts to promote domestic tourism and unveil exciting vacation spots in the state.

She said many may not realise that there were plenty of unique and exciting vacation spots in Selangor and right now operators of attraction spots have introduced fresh packages for those who were scouting for the perfect vacation destinations for their next getaway.

“In early 2023, we are still in the pandemic period, so I think in the middle of 2023 we can see that the momentum of tourism activity is back and people are starting to go out and look forward to experiencing different tourism packages.

“Selangor’s strength is that it has the highest population with over six million people. There are those who either stay here (in the state) or work here.

“During the weekend, they need a place to relax, to bring their family, elderly parents, children and they need to go somewhere for a weekend getaway.

“To go for a holiday, they need to wait twice a year and it would require a lot of planning in advance if they plan to go somewhere far (in a different state or overseas). But when they have the weekends off, they could plan activities at someplace (nearer to home).

“There's a focus on educational tours, like Farm in the City and the Dragon Fruit Farm in Sepang, where you can experience picking dragon fruits from the farm to the table,” she said when met at the launching of the Junior Farm Rangers programme at Farm in The City, here.

Chua said eco and agro-tourism were the priorities for Tourism Selangor especially in the northern corridor, including at places such as Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam.

She added that there were plenty of natural spots in the state just waiting to be explored.

Looking ahead to 2024, she said Tourism Selangor was gearing up for Visit Selangor Year in 2025.

She said the agency was planning extensive promotional campaigns, both domestically and internationally.

The goal, she said was to collaborate with government agencies, industry players and the community to create a synergistic approach.

“We will come up with a series of programmes, promotion campaigns at the domestic and international levels. At the moment, the top four markets are Singapore, China, Indonesia and Japan,” she said.

In the first half of this year, she said 100,999 people from Singapore travelled to Selangor followed by China (70,023), Indonesia (66,772), Japan (41,207), United Arab Emirates (40,503), Philippines (39,335), India (36,394), United States (20,228), Australia (18, 276) and Thailand (16,552).

She added that the agency was now just opening up to the India market.

Chua also emphasised the importance of Malaysians exploring local destinations to showcase the country's uniqueness and identity.

She said by going local, they were actually going international, attracting attention from global travelers and fostering a sense of pride in the country’s rich offerings.

“The ‘Nak Bercuti? Pusing Selangor Dulu! campaign is important because when you go local, you are actually going international.

“It means when people see how passionate you are about your own local uniqueness and identity, the international people will notice you and you are actually attracting their attention and they will recognise you,” she said.